New brewing company opens May 17

Cincinnati has a rich brewing history,
plain and simple. And if you haven’t been living in a hole for the
past couple of years you know that. So it should be of no surprise
that someone would take a piece of that history back home with them.

That’s exactly what 25-year-old
Daytonite and founder of The Dayton Beer Company, Peter Hilgeman,
did. “I have always been interested in beer, but my interest really
peaked when I worked at The Party Source during college,” Hilgeman
says.

Hilgeman, a 2009 University of
Cincinnati graduate, spent some of his time working across the river
at The Party Source in Covington, which for many is considered to be
the local mecca for beer and spirits.

“Living in Cincinnati definitely
inspired me to brew beer and open up a brewery in my hometown of
Dayton,” he says. “Cincinnati and Dayton have amazing brewing
traditions and I truly love the history that both cities share with
regards to their brewing.

“I really wanted to restore that
brewing tradition not only for Dayton, but throughout Southwest
Ohio."

Hilgeman also spent five months
traveling throughout Europe honing his pallet for exceptional beers
from around the world.

With names like Patterson Pale Ale,
Inventors IPA and Hawthorn Hill Hefeweizen, Hilgeman wanted to make
something that Dayton could call its own and the Queen City could
also be proud of.

“My goal for The Dayton Beer Comapy
is simple. I want to provide people with great-tasting beer that they
really love drinking and to help them learn about the great brewing
traditions Dayton and Cincinnati have to offer,” Hilgeman says. “I
want to be thoroughly involved in the community and give back
whenever and wherever possible."

Hilgeman plans to have his beer
available in a few bar locations in Mount Adams. “I hope that the
Queen City will be able to have a few Dayton Beer Company beers in
the next month or two,” Hilgeman says. “ I also intend to expand
throughout Ohio and eventually to other states as well, but with our
roots firmly entrenched in Southwest Ohio.”

The Dayton Beer Co. is set to opens its
doors at 912 E. Dorothy Lane, Kettering, Thursday, May 17. The
tasting room will be open Wednesday-Saturday until 10 p.m. Check out
www.thedaytonbeerco.com for more information.

Opening Day downtown happenings

It’s almost here, Cincinnatians — Opening Day 2012 takes place Thursday. The beginning of
the Reds’ season is one of several cultural celebrations that the
Queen City does bigger than most other places (is it really possible
that another city gets down like our triumvirate of Opening Day-Taste
of Cincinnati-Oktoberfest?). As such, downtown Cincinnati will be
poppin’ off, as bars, restaurants and attractions attempt to engage
some of the locals who might only visit the business district for
such celebrations.

The Findlay Market Opening Day Parade starts at 1 p.m., followed by the game against the Miami Marlins at 4:05.

The
following is a list of more than 40 downtown businesses offering food
and drink specials for Opening Day, according to Downtown Cincinnati
Inc., the non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and
promoting downtown businesses.

BAR
DEALZ:

Blue
Wisp: Located
right on the parade route at the corner of Race and 7th streets, the
newly relocated Jazz club/restaurant will have its kitchen open all
day, with happy hour specials including $2
Red drafts. Four big TVs and live music after the game. 700 Race St.,
513-241- WISP.

Holy
Grail:
One of the new restaurants in The Banks, the Holy Grail will host
several live radio broadcasts before and after the game, along with
its typical food and drink offerings. 161 Joe Nuxhall Way,
513-621-2222.

Whisky
Bar
Cincinnati:
The first 150 patrons will get a free Opening Day CD mix, and the bar
will give away tickets to Opening Day before the game. $5 for a shot
and beer, $3 Reds shots and more specials. 537
E.
Pete Rose Way, 513-721-9227.

Café
de Paris:
This quaint sandwich shop offers a variety of coffee, cappucinos and
lattes along with breakfast sandwiches and muffins, just around the
corner from the parade’s route on Race Street. 17 Garfield Place,
513-651-1919.

Grecos:
Opening Day tailgate with live music. $10 includes parking, cover and
one free Grecos Signature Cincinnati Pork Green Chili
Taco. Hamburgers, hotdogs and full lunch menu will be available
throughout the day from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. 700 W. Pete Rose Way,
513-721-3663.

Greek
to Me:
Opening Day special “Buy a gyro, get a second gyro for $1.” 125
E. Court St., 513-422-4976.

Lucy
Blue Pizza: Open at 11 a.m. with an
all-you-can-eat lunch buffet for $7.50 that includes fresh
salad, homemade soup, soft drink or water, and all the pizza you
want. Buffet open until 2 p.m. Open for business all day and night.
35 E. Seventh St., 513-381-7777.

Moerlein
Lager House: Hosting
the Fuller Ford Opening Day Party from 11a.m.-4 p.m. with free music
by the Naked Karate Girls. 115 Joe Nuxhall Way, 513-421-2337.

Morton’s:
Open at noon with a great view of the Opening Day parade from windows
overlooking Fifth Street and Fountain Square. Offering full menu in
the dining room and bar bites in Bar 12*21. 441 Vine St.,
513-621-3111.

Servatii’s:
Open 6 a.m.-5 p.m. serving baseball decorated cookies at both
downtown locations and passing out pretzel sticks at the Local 12
booth during the Reds Rally on Fountain Square. On Fountain Square
and 41 E. Court St., 513-241-7500.

Snappy
Tomato Pizza:
Free Busken cookie with purchase while supplies last. The buffet is
$6 and includes all you can eat pizza, salad and drink, or a baby
beast personal pizza pepperoni or plain cheese for $4.69. 330 Walnut
St., 513-241-9888.

The
Squirrel:
Free Busken cookie with purchase while supplies last, along with a
sandwich, chips and drink special. 344 Walnut St., 513-721-1128.

Streetpops:
This new popsicle shop will celebrate its grand opening this week.
Open noon- 6 p.m. on Opening Day with 50 cents off all red popsicles.
1437 Main St., 513-446-7505.

Toby
Keith’s I Love This Bar and Grill: Serving lunch and dinner all day
in an American-themed space. 145
E. Second St., 513-721-8629.

Tot
Dogs: Open
11 a.m. 634 Vine St., 513-345-3056.

Trattoria
Roma: Free
appetizer with the purchase of two main courses. Offering a full bar
and a late night menu. 580 Walnut St., 513-723-0220.

Walnut
Street Grill: Open
11 a.m.-midnight. Enjoy a 3 Olives party downstairs and a Budweiser
party upstairs. All drink specials will be effective all day and will
include wine, beer and liquor specials, plus $2 pints of red beer.
631 Walnut St., 513-241-0707.

Washington
Platform:
Open before and after the parade. 1000 Elm St., 513-421-0110.

Tips for a Successful Beerfest

There are plenty of beer festivals year-round in Cincinnati, but Cincy Winter Beerfest is the queen mother of them all. Duke Energy Convention Center downtown transforms into a beer haven this weekend, offering more than 300 craft brews.

Yet unnamed, but historically outfitted

If there's one thing we like in Over-the-Rhine, it's enjoying a bit of updated history while we dine and drink. And that's what proprietors Stuart King and Julia Petiprin aim to bring to the corner of 13th and Republic streets with their new apothecary-themed cocktail bar.

While the name has yet to be revealed, the theme is sound. The bar will be nestled in a historic storefront, replete with turn-of-the-century antique medicines, jars, bottles and sundries, along with dark wood, leather booths and vintage lighting; more moody and romantic and less American Horror Story.

King and Petiprin, cofounders of the Circle Hospital Group, are striving to create a warm, comfortable bar with a design aligned to the ethos of OTR. Petiprin, the designer of the space, will also oversee the cocktail program. It's slated to feature spirits, syrups and other homemade concoctions in a strategy developed with assistance from former Los Angeles bar manager Brandyn Tepper (Hinoki and the Bird) and Matt Landes of Cocktail Academy of Downtown Los Angeles.

The 1,200-square-foot space will hold 55 people and is slated to open in March.

We went to the sneak preview — there were fewer shirtless 98 degrees photos than we had hoped

The Lachey brothers are officially in the bar business. Cincinnati natives and boy band superstars Nick and Drew Lachey held a preview night for their bar, Lachey’s Bar, Dec. 19. It opens to the public on Jan. 1. 2015. Mayor John Cranley, 3CDC and 4EG/Lachey’s Bar partner Bob Deck were on hand to help the brothers cut the red ribbon.

“We’re literally cutting the red tape,” Drew Lachey joked to the crowd. Cranley gave the brothers keys to the city and declared December 19 98 Degrees Day, er, Lachey Day in Cincinnati. As the event unfurled, A&E was also there rolling cameras for the upcoming reality show surrounding the opening of the bar, which will start airing in March 2015.

“Nick has been talking about this, I swear, it has to be at least a decade,” Justin Jeffre, a childhood pal of the Lacheys, fellow 98 Degrees member and editor for newspaper Streetvibes, says. “They’ve been more serious about it for the past couple of years. After hearing so many conversations, it’s nice to see it finally come to fruition.”

The sports bar, located on the corner of Walnut and 12th Street in OTR, is huge and bright, so there’s no way you’ll miss it. Because of its large windows, you can easily stand on the street and gaze inside at Drew and Nick, and read the LED sports ticker crawling underneath the 10 or so TVs hovering above the long bar.

“We felt like we wanted it be a sports lounge,” Nick says. “Sports bar, you kind of think of peanut shells on the floor, more Buffalo Wild Wings vibe, which I love, but we wanted to create something that was a little bit more upscale from that but still approachable to everybody.”

The plethora of TVs, the sports ticker and glowing rectangular colored lights wired into panels underneath the bar countertop creates almost a sensory overload. There’s already a sports bar (Rhinehaus) and a craft beer emporium/taco joint (Half Cut, Gomez Salsa) across the street, but keep in mind Lachey’s is more commodious, with 100 seats and a 150-person occupancy. Chefs Jonathan Price and Brian Duffy (of Bar Rescue fame) are building a menu of high-quality, non-frozen pub grub, including tater tots, pork sandwiches, bison burgers and salads, so you can stuff your face while you watch golf.

The big draw here is not only the bros, but also the booze. Three tap stations serve an array of craft beer and Miller Lite (Nick’s fave), but there’s also Nobilo wine on draft (it’s fancy and it’s good), cocktails on tap, a beer cocktail called Una Noche and non-alcoholic sodas for the teetotalers. Sports and non-sports fans will be able to imbibe their Miller Lite and Mad Tree Thundersnows sitting on barstools at the bar, sitting at one of the high top tables or lounging in the back of the bar on a comfy couch. Or, the ladies can take their business into the bathroom and lounge on couches in there. Note: The ladies room is nicer than most sports bars’ bathrooms.

But what’s the appeal of a sports bar to those who aren’t into sports? Nick assures, “It’s really about the people. I think I go to places because I want to be around good people and great atmosphere, and this is going to have that, for sure.”

Like many bars in OTR, Lachey’s will have happy hour, which will be yet another reason to hang out at the bar in hopes of catching a glimpse of the bros. And if you’re into the Pedal Wagon, the bar has a garage that enables the wagon to pedal right into the bar.

Currently, the only framed photos hanging on the red-hued walls are of The Bengals and Reds, and when asked if he’ll hang photos of 98 Degrees, Nick says, “We’re still decorating.” So here’s hoping some of those ‘90s-era shirtless pictures of the guys will make it onto the wall of shame.

Lachey’s Bar is located at 56 E. 12th St., Over-the-Rhine. For more info, go to lacheys.com.

A lot of stuff from Walgreens, Packhouse, Krueger's Tavern, Amol and more

Each week CityBeat staffers tell you what they ate this weekend. We're not always proud — or trendy — but we definitely spend at least some money on food.

Danny Cross: A couple of my friends' girlfriends had a birthday death wish on Saturday night, taking a party of more than 15 to Krueger's Tavern. My girlfriend and I showed up late, kind of assuming everyone would be standing on the Vine Street sidewalk like a bunch of tourists. Apparently, Krueger's will seat your giant party as long as half have arrived, though, and no one was mad when the final two of us showed up like 40 minutes after the reservation time. Krueger's is owned by the same people who run Bakersfield and The Eagle OTR, and its concept is similar: loud, hip atmosphere; really good, relatively inexpensive food; and pretty great service considering how crowded and busy the place is. We split the Cuban sandwich, fries and a kale salad someone told us was going to be awesome (true). It's nice to have an OTR option aside from Taste of Belgium where you can sit down with more than four people without forcing the restaurant to rearrange the entire room. CityBeat food writer Kristen Franke had good things to say about Krueger's last week, so you should probably take her word for it.

Jac Kern: I’ll tell you where I did not eat: Bridalrama. Cupcakes and macaroons and cakes at every corner, and I didn't touch any of it. I was proud of my self-control until the next day when Jeff insisted on ordering Pizza Hut during the Super Bowl. And we're not talking some regular fattening pizza. No, we had to order the Triple Cheese Covered Stuffed Crust Pizza. So, needless to say, any pride I had left was gone at this point. I wanted to be disgusted by it but I reluctantly found it really tasty.

Rebecca Sylvester: Best Friday night: ordered too much Indian food and went to sleep. Since it was obviously too cold to leave the house, my boo and I took advantage of the fact that Amol delivers and made someone else deal with the frigid 2.5-mile trek between their kitchen and my couch. The food was great, but the best part of the meal was the fact that their delivery minimum is $25, meaning it is just a dollar or two out of reach of ordering only two entrees, so we were (I was) justified in ordering A THIRD ENTREE for additional feasting.

Mike Breen: I largely had a depressed, shut-in kind of weekend, for which I loaded up on supplies from that gourmet food haven Walgreens and barely left my apartment. The cashier told me we might get eight inches of snow over the weekend as I checked out; even though I knew that wasn’t true, I hoped my sad purchases were seen as “stocking up” for the impending Snowmageddon (or at least as treats I was taking to a Super Bowl party). I should have grabbed a bag of rock salt to make it look less pathetic.

Along with the wasabi-flavored almonds, the best thing I grabbed on my junk food spree was a pint of Ben & Jerry’s Truffle Trifecta, which I first discovered last year. It’s only available at Walgreens (which seems weird; B&J’s also has “exclusive” flavors at Target, which is somewhat understandable, but Walgreens seems to be a weird place to have to go to score ice cream). It’s Ben & Jerry’s, so of course it’s really good. And pretty simple — chocolate ice cream with marshmallow, fudge and caramel-filled truffle candy. It’s become one of my favorite Ben & Jerry’s flavors.

I was proud of myself for not devouring all of the crap food I bought. Seemed like a good purchase at the time, but I just couldn’t stomach eating the small bag of Ruffles’ Deep Ridged Bacon & Cheddar Loaded Potato Skins flavored chips I bought. But there’s always next weekend. Grammys viewing party at my place, y’all!

Jesse Fox: I wanted to get some film that I shot developed on Saturday and apparently the Walgreens in Highland Heights is the only place around here that still does that. I didn't want to drive down, go home and drive right back, so I went with my freelancer Catie so we could talk or something while we waited. The guys working said it would take two hours so we did what any respectable humans would do — we went and bought mini vodka bottles from the liquor store nearby and ate at Taco Bell. Despite ordering different things, the total of both of our meals was $6.66. The next day I woke up with strep throat, so thank you Taco Bell satan.

Maija Zummo: I finally went to Packhouse in Newport to eat some vegetarian meatballs. (My computer keeps auto-correcting that to "packhorse," which is an altogether different type of meatball.) I had been to the meatball restaurant in Corryville, Meatball Kitchen, which has a different vibe (you order at a cash register there). I had been warned that the Packhouse menu was a little bit confusing — there's a ton of choices and you fill boxes in on your menu with a marker to order — but it wasn't so bad. The waitresses help you navigate.

You pick a type of meatball — I got quinoa and veggie and the rest of my party got one of each other type of meatball on the menu: fried chicken, turkey and sage, something with sundried tomatoes and blue cheese, a normal meatball and then a lasagna meatball (lasagna shaped into a ball and fried). Then you choose a sauce (marinara, parmesan cream, some type of stew sauce, and a couple others) and how you want it served. You can get it on a sandwich, on a slider, on pasta, with Brussels sprouts etc., etc. There are like a million possible combinations. I got three quinoa meatballs on some boursin mashed potatoes with parmesan cream on top and a quinoa slider with cheese and marina sauce because, as a vegetarian, I never get to eat sliders.

Portion sizes were big and the quinoa meatballs tasted like little arancini; they were little fried tasty nuggets. I loved them a lot more than I expected because I hate quinoa. The rest of my party, however, didn't love their meatballs. There was some confusion as to which was which, like they couldn't tell the difference between the turkey and sage an the sundried tomato one. But I was happy, which is the most important part. They also have bottles of wine for $19, and the service staff is paid a fair wage so you don't tip, which is a cool novelty. I'd go back for more sliders and cheap wine, and my one friend wants to go back to tackle their eating contest, where you need to eat like 25 of the same meatballs in an hour or something.

Samantha Gellin: I had brunch at BrewRiver Gastropub. It's a New Orleans-style place. The food was delicious but the prices ... not. The entrees were all in the $12 to $16 dollar range, so I opted for two "sides": two sunny-side up eggs and a small bowl cheese grits. The eggs were delicious; the grits, while tasty, weren't life-changing. My husband got poutine and eggs, and the beef short-rib gravy was really rich and delicious. It had strips of really tender meat in it. For anyone who doesn't have to watch their cholesterol, it's a solid choice. The server was a bit pushy and anxious to get our party of eight out the door by the afternoon closing time, though. I'm not sure I'd go back, partly because of the prices and partly because I'm over brunch dates. Maybe I'm just getting too old to be drinking three mimosas at noon.

Some sneaky people stole a bunch of booze

According to station WKYT in Frankfort, Ky., around 65 cases of rare, 20-year-old Pappy Van Winkle bourbon have been stolen from the Buffalo Trace Distillery.

The Frankfort-based distillery produces the coveted brand, bottling only about 7,000 cases per year of Pappy, which is the No.1-rated bourbon whiskey in the world (according to their website). The suggested retail price of a bottle of the 20-year is around $130, so the bourbon bandits made off with more than $25,000 worth of booze. They reportedly also stole some 13-year Pappy rye.

When bourbon ages for such a long time, much of it evaporates as the "angel's share." "Many barrels often yield less than 20 gallons out of the original 53 gallons produced," Julian Van Winkle, president of Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery, according to a 2012 press release.

Frankfort County sheriffs are consider the heist an inside job. And while the bottles may have been stolen over the past couple of months, their disappearance was noted on Tuesday.

We imagine those who just got thousands upon thousands of dollars worth of the world's best bourbon for free will probably not be returning it, so way to make a rare brand even rarer, burglars. Can't wait to see how much bottles will going for on ebay (an empty bottle is on there now for $69.99).

Each week CityBeat staffers and dining writers tell you what they ate this weekend. We're not always proud — or trendy — but we definitely spend at least some money on food.

Ilene Ross: It wasn't exactly cold this weekend, but most frigid winter days find me jonesing for a body-warming bowl of congee, a type of rice porridge popular in many Asian countries. On Saturday, I enjoyed a tasty bowl of dried pork congee at Quan HapainOTR. It's filled with chicken, and there's a poached egg hiding in there. On top is yummy fried pork, five-spice oil and green onions. Deeply satisfying, no matter what the thermometer says.

Rebecca Sylvester: LaRosa's! Did you know LaRosa's garlic butter dipping sauce contains no actual dairy, so it's vegan/lactose-intolerant friendly? If you think about it too much it's super creepy, but if you just don't think about it then it is a delicious option to dunk your cheese-less veggie pizza. #thestruggleisreal

Jac Kern: Yesterday I had fajitasand margs at Cancun, my home away from home. The Western Bowl-adjacent cantina is a great brunch alternative for lazy/antisocial people: fast service, standard but consistent Mexican grub, dim lights and crack-like frozen margaritas. Come hungry; leave stuffed, tipsy and with a frost-bitten tongue. That's basically how all of my (frequent) Cancun adventures go.

Samantha Gellin: I ate at Eli's BBQ for the first time. The inside was packed so we ate at a picnic table inside one of their big white outdoor tents. It was like 30 degrees outside, so thankfully I was able to nab a spot right by a working heater, but it was still pretty chilly. But now I know what all the fuss over Eli's has been about: It's freakin' delicious. And seriously cheap. A meat-stuffed sandwich and two generous sides will run you eight bucks. That's it. There's not many other restaurants in Cincy (at least not that I know of) that are so generous with their portion size and yet so easy on your wallet. And it's BYOB. I mean, what else could you ask for?!

I got a pulled pork sandwich with a side of baked beans and macaroni and cheese. The deliciousness of everything made me forget I was cold. The macaroni is to die for; it's everything you want a side of macaroni to be with a barbecue dinner — super rich, creamy and calorie-laden. The baked beans were also delicious: savory, with hints of bacon and brown sugar and something more complex that I can't put my finger on. And the pulled pork was pretty much everything you've heard Eli's pulled pork to be: savory, tender and with just the right amount of sweet. Will I go again? Most definitely, but I'll wait until it's warm out.

Jesse Fox: On Saturday I did a freelance photo job for Ena's Jerkmania and fell in love with their fried plantains. I had never even had a regular plantain before so I wasn't sure what to expect. The texture reminded me kind of of like a thinner version of French toast, a little crunchy on the outside but soft in the middle. They were great on their own but would have been really good with some agave nectar on, too — but that's probably the sugar addict in me talking.

Garin Pirnia: I’ve been nursing a cold, so I decided to stay in this weekend and make a few things. First up was homemade chai tea. You just throw a lot of spices — crushed cardamom, pepper, vanilla bean, star anise, ginger, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves — into boiling water and then add black tea and brown sugar. When I bought the spices at Findlay Market a couple of weeks ago, the guy was like, “Do you work at a restaurant or something?” I don't.

Next, inspired by The Comet’s housemade ginger ale, I took it upon myself to make my own. A caveat: If you hate ginger you will not like this; it’s super strong. You chop up a few ounces of fresh ginger and let it simmer in water for 45 minutes, and then dissolve sugar into it, which makes a simple syrup. Just add carbonated water and you have ginger ale that tastes better than Vernors and anything else on the market.

Finally, I made bagels. Yes, bagels. It’s so easy! You mix bread flour, yeast, a pinch of sugar and salt and malt syrup (I use honey) in a mixer or food processor. Form the dough into a ball and wait for it to rise. Then you shape the dough into the semblance of bagels and flash boil them. The hardest part is forming the dough, but the most fun part is sticking toppings like sesame seeds and poppy seeds onto the bagels. You can get a little crazy and creative — anything goes. Bake 'em in the oven for about 20 minutes and, voila, bagels without weird stuff like yoga mat component/flour whitening agent azodicarbonamide. You can freeze the bagels to make them last longer. Damn, I should open a café.

Anne Mitchell: I ate a fancy dinner at Covington's 200th birthday celebration gala. For giant catered-meal food, it was great — especially the bundles of green beans tied up with red and yellow peppers. Bean bondage! Seriously, there was real bacon on the salad and bourbon in the chicken sauce, so bravo COV200. I hope the next 200 years are just as tasty.

Kristen Franke: This weekend, I had a lot of things. 1. Dollar oysters at Anchor OTR. Thursday nights are the best. We were seated by the window and ordered a dozen delicious little numbers. Their granita topping — basically caramelized red onions that have been frozen into slushy-like goodness — and the fluffy fresh horseradish are dynamite. Our kickass server also brought Sriracha, which is a game changer when it comes to oysters.

2. The volcano roll at Ichiban(half-price sushi, hell yeah!) on Friday night. The roll features a tower of crab meat on top of a deep-fried eel roll. That and a standard spicy tuna roll and I was set. No, it's nothing stellar, but when your bill comes back with $10.57 printed on the bottom, it's hard to resist doing your happy dance.

3. Homemade meatloaf, whipped potatoes and crisp green beans at my dad's house. His meatloaf is essentially a giant, baked meatball made with soaked french bread, fresh garlic, Parmesan and parsley. Dip it in those buttery potatoes and you can just feel your soul relax.

4. Late-night spoonbread at The Eagle OTR. Eagle is fantastic late night. We arrived at 10:41 p.m. and waited 30 seconds for a table for four. Their maple syrup-soaked spoonbread goes GREAT with a Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale, an on-tap staple at this place.

19th century article relays "rather remarkable stories about the capacity of the Ohio stomach"

In 1879, the New York Times published an article titled: "How Cincinnati Beer is Drunk at Home: Some rather remarkable stories about the capacity of the Ohio stomach," which told amazing tales of expert Queen City beer drinkers and just how much an average Cincinnatian can drink in a day (several kegs).

The article starts with the tale of a "remarkable statement" that one of the former members of the Mohawk Fire Company could drink 12 glasses or beer on an ordinary work day between when the clock started and finished chiming noon (less than half a minute). According to several credible witnesses, the dude did this pretty frequently — enough that he got irritated with the amount of time it took to lift a glass to and from his lips so he just poured all the beer in a giant bowl and drank from the bowl.

This was followed by an awesome story about a man named Dr. Noeffler, who once drank a keg of beer in two hours at home of his friend, brewer J.G. Sohn. According to the article, "Dr. Noeffler is quite obese, but no more so than before he became a great beer-drinker. The only visible effect which his enormous consumption of beer has had upon him has been to seriously reduce him financially."

And the article goes on and on, including information about how much beer Cincinnati brewery workers were putting away in a day — up to 35 glasses each at the Kauffman brewery, 25 at the Moerlein brewery and only between 5 and 14 at the Jackson Brewery, which was "strictly regulating" employee beer consumption based on age, build and quality of work.

An evening of tastings and a bottle signing by a Four Roses master distiller

4EG entertainment group's bar Igby's (122 E. Sixth St., Downtown) is hosting a launch party for their very own Four Roses private label bourbon on Tuesday.

Igby's and The Lackman (1237 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine) visited the Four Roses distillery in Lawrenceburg, Ky., on Sept. 10 of this year and specially select their very own barrel of Four Roses bourbon. The barrel, aged for eight years and four months, was bottled on Oct. 7. The private label bottle is now available for purchase ($55) at Igby's or The Lackman and to celebrate, the bars are hosting a party at Igby's with bourbon tastings and bottle signings by Four Roses master distiller Jim Rutledge, who has been with the distillery for almost 20 years.

The party kicks-off with a bottle signing at 6 p.m. followed by a "sip and learn" experience with Rutledge at 6:30 p.m. Four Roses bourbon flights will be available throughout the night for $10 and include a complimentary Four Roses glass.